I’ve watched dirt roads and dairy farms give way to amazing high-rise buildings and beautiful master planned communities. As I grew up, so did Phoenix. And now, I get to present this wonderful city to my clients who want to make it their home, too. It’s the best feeling in the world.

I moved to Phoenix when I was 3 months old and it oftentimes feels like the city and I have grown up together. There was a time when the closest four-way stop to our house was a dirt road and now it’s a major intersection in the middle of town. Dairy farms have turned into high-rise buildings and planned communities. My childhood home was the last subdivision on the outskirts of town and some of my fondest memories are of grabbing my bike and exploring the untouched desert around me with my friends. We would leave our homes when the sun came up and didn’t come home until dinner. We never could have imagined that the bike trails that we were blazing would one day become an integral piece of one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Just as I enjoyed exploring the desert and mountains around me, my parents always encouraged me to explore the world. Both of my parents are from India, so we used to go back there quite a bit when I was young. India is literally on the other side of the world, so we would always stop along the way to visit some place new.  Now that I’m married with five children, I’ve instilled that love of adventure and travel in my own family. We’ve not just been to all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; we have experienced them in depth.  We have seen so many of the unique elements that every nook and cranny of our country has to offer, and enjoyed experiencing the differences that make each place special and the similarities that tie us all together.

When I went to college, I decided to study finance and accounting. I have always been a numbers guy, so these two majors seemed right up my alley.  I became a CPA and, at 21, I was the youngest person to pass all four parts of the CPA exam in Arizona.  Within a couple weeks, I found myself a job as an auditor at one of the Big 5 accounting firms. However, I soon realized that being an auditor was not meant for me.  I oftentimes found myself in a position where I was creating stress in my client’s environment.  Instead of a positive interaction where I was there to help, I was mostly having negative interactions where I was there to inspect and scrutinize.  I quickly realized that I’m just not that type of guy. I wanted something different.  I wanted to help.

After my second son was born, I realized I needed to make a change. So I switched career paths and got into the lending business, which eventually led me into real estate and I’ve been doing this ever since. It’s a career that I love because I get to bring happiness to people’s lives. Plus, my background in accounting and lending has really allowed me to be a well rounded asset to my clients. Oftentimes, there seems to be a speed bump along the way when you’re buying or selling a home, but I love figuring it out and making the journey as smooth as possible for my clients.  I want my clients to have a smooth and stress free transaction, so I am happy that I can take care of the bumps along the way.

When the recession happened, we faced challenges just like so many other families. But I have always tried to look at challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.  I’ve always had a really positive attitude, and I try to pass this behavior along to my kids.  When they are going through something that might seem terrible to them, I remind them that there are always people going through things that are so much worse. I try to teach them to feel gratitude for what they do have, and the rest will work itself out.

I also feel gratitude when I can help my clients find their new home. I love to see my clients ecstatic when they get the keys at closing. And I always check in with them six months later to see how they’re doing. It’s the greatest thing ever to hear them say how much they still love their home.

I’ve always been a really positive person in the face of adversity. And gratitude is a big part of that.

Sincerely,

Sanjog Gopal
Broker-Associate